Battle of Terani

The Battle of Terani was fought in 271 AD during the Crisis of the Third Century. The new Roman Legio VI Alpina under Lucius Titiedius Flavus destroyed the Quadi army under their king Helmut, who was slain in battle along with two-thirds of his army. The Quadi defeat allowed for the Romans to reconquer their lost lands in Pannonia and then launch a punitive expedition into Quadi lands.

Background
In 270 AD, the invading Quadi tribe from Slovakia invaded Roman Pannonia, conquering the provincial capital of Aquincum without much resistance. The Quadi invasion occurred at the same time as the Buri, who conquered the Dacian provincial capital of Zarmizegetusa. In early 271 AD, the Romans launched a counterattack against the invading Germanic tribes, hoping to drive them back across the Danube in shame. Legio IV Pannonica defeated the Buri at the Battle of Tismanum and retook Zarmizegetusa, while the new Legio VI Alpina was raised with the goal of defeating the Quadi. This legion, led by Lucius Titiedius Flavus, was sent to attack their chief Helmut's army halfway between Istros (Banska Bystrica) in the north and Aquincum in the south.

Battle
The Roman legion under Flavus overextended its line so that its wings reached farther than those of the Quadi army, which advanced in a multi-tiered fashion. The Quadi made the mistake of marching into battle with multiple, shorter tiers which were easily enveloped by the broader Roman line from the flanks, and the Roman skirmishers rained javelins and arrows upon the Quadi as they engaged in melee combat with the Romans on three sides. As the Quadi flanks crumbled, the Roman flanking units charged deeper into the Quadi line or even around their forces, encircling and slaughtering the Quadi warriors. King Helmut was killed during the rout, and the Quadi suffered 2,221 dead and 304 captured during the battle (to be put to death after the battle's end); conversely, the Romans lost just 415 men. The Roman victory at Terani allowed for the Romans to peacefully retake Aquincum and later launch a punitive expedition against the Quadi at Istros itself.